Embryonic stem cell research gets green light
 

(CNN) -- Federal regulators have cleared the way for the first human trials of human embryonic stem-cell research, authorizing researchers to test whether the cells are safe to use in spinal injury patients, the company behind the trials announced Friday.


Embryonic stem cells are blank cells found in embryos, which have the ability to turn into any cell in the body.

The tests could begin by summer, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of the Geron Corporation. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the trials, which will use human stem cells authorized for research by then-President George W. Bush in 2001.

The patients will be those with the most severe spinal cord injuries, called complete spinal cord injuries.

"A complete spinal cord injury has no hope of recovery below the injury," Okarma told CNN. "This is significant because it's the first clinical trial of a human embryonic-based product."

The primary purpose of the trial will be to see whether injecting these cells into patients is safe, but Okarma said researchers will also look for any signs of recovery. Scientists will monitor the patients for a year after the injections to see if they are regaining any function below the injured point.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/23...ell/index.html

It's about time.

5 years too late for Chris Reeve.

Overseas, they use fat cells (such as from liposuction) instead of embryonic stem cells. That sounds more like a win-win situation to me.

And we definitely have plenty of those here in the US.;)

Here is a link to an article about this- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1210122254.htm

Luckily, however, we can now investigate all options rather than ones that the government deems appropriate...science should be left to the discretion of the scientists not government officials with no science training.

ditto, ditto, ditto

Adding one more ditto to yours.:)

Agreed. While I am in favor of stem cell research, I am not in favor of the use of embryonic cells.

Agree.

Well,...in some branches, government funding pays for science and they go hand in hand with each other...There are indeed scientists who work within the government that decides where taxpayer money should go for research and development.

Your Veterans Affairs system is one such area.

:)

Oh and they're doing such a great job :rolleyes:

I would say the NIH is a better example than Veterans Affairs. The NIH reviewers for grant monies are actually scientists/epidemiologists/biostatisticians who are working in the field and who agree to be part of the study sections to review grant applications and score them. The highest scores get the grant money. They don't review applications from their own institutions and are never really sure how high a score needs to be to get the money. In recent years, funding has decreased so scores have had to be really high to get funding. It's a pretty good system though.